Pamela Anderson: Her swimsuit became a symbol of empowerment

« Pamela Anderson’s swimsuit haunts me, » said curator and fashion historian Amber Boutsart, a Splash exhibition officer! A Century of Swimming and Style that opens to the audience of The Design Museum in London.

Boothard refers to Pamela Anderson’s iconic red swimsuit, which, he noted, was one of the most expensive pieces ever secured.

« It was largely part of that 90s culture, it defined how you should appear on the beach, » Butsart told CNN International before the inauguration, of the pervasive male look that dictated public perception of celebrities.

« I think (Anderson) has done a great job to overthrow this stereotype, to claim her own image, » he added.

Anderson began her career as an actress on TV Baywatch as a CJ Parker – a lifeguard, volleyball coach and cafeteria on the beach from California – who rarely appeared with more than a tiny red bolt.

Pamela Anderson: Her swimsuit became a symbol of empowerment

Since then, Anderson has worked hard to differentiate her public image: she wrote a plant -based cookbook, proudly appeared on the red carpet and made her debut at the Arthouse Cinema with a leading role in the 20th of Jia Copola’s 20th.

But many will remember Anderson more about her role in Baywatch, the world’s largest television television series, with more than 1 billion viewers from more than 140 countries watching her at her peak each week.

Many international broadcasting organizations bought only the episodes that only Anderson appeared, a trend that had the nickname Pamela Clauses, according to her memoirs.

In 2019, to honor the 30th anniversary of the television series, Pantone created a shade called Baywatch Red.

All the swimsuits worn in the Baywatch movie were made on custom made for every actor by the Californian Tyr sportswear brand.

« They were designed to highlight what they had to show, » Bucart said, referring to the physical fitness of the actors.

So when it was time to expose the clothes, a traditional showcase would not fit. « We didn’t really want to put them on a doll unless it had the exact proportions of Pamela Anderson, » he told CNN. Instead, the red full body hangs in the air – an object in itself, separated from the body that made it famous.

A symbol of a woman who overthrew her symbolism by wearing it without shame, to incorporate it into her own history of empowerment over time.

From an Olympic gold medal in Pamela Anderson’s red swimsuit on Baywatch, the new exhibition dedicated to swimming opens its gates to London’s design museum this week.

Titled Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style The exhibition presents more than 200 objects that praise our love for water since 1920, either on the beach, in the pool or even in nature.

« The exhibition has been exploring the last century swimming through the design lens, » Amber Boutsart, the exhibition, told Reuters.

« We start in the pool, go to the beach and complete the tour of nature and each of these modules allow us to explore different issues, whether it be materials and construction, or the development of swimsuit as a fashion object or it is outdoors and the architecture that allows it to access. »

A variety of colorful swimwear from different decades is at the center, including a 1950 bikini and a collection of revealing Speedo of 1980 along with a version of the famous red swimsuit that Anderson wore in the role of lifeguard S.

The exhibition also includes various Olympic objects, including the first Olympic gold medal in solo swimming won a British.

The exhibition will run from March 28 to August 17th.